Does anyone know a good way to kill algae in a fish pond?

Bill Turley (Moderator) (Trustee board) (☼Travelguide writer) says on May 30, 2009, 12:19:

fill says on May 30, 2009, 13:10:

tilapia

fill

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Miguel_Clavo says on May 30, 2009, 13:39:

let Elmo bathe in it?? jajajjajajaj..oh, wait, you might kill the fish as well....never mind.....too toxic.....=)

RVW orderded me to remove my tagline congratulating the PBH Mods New Golden Boys. Lame.

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NCBachelor says on May 30, 2009, 13:43:

I don't know if you can find a good UV system, but an in-line UV light that the water is pumped through helps to maintain a clean pond, but I am not sure how effective it will be getting rid of a lot of algae on the front end.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race” Calvin Coolidge

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Catfish35 says on May 30, 2009, 14:23:

How about "CATFISH" ????

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

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Catfish35 says on May 30, 2009, 14:23:

Carp are also good as posted..

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

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diobahn says on May 30, 2009, 15:34:

I live in rural south-east Louisiana (USA) and have an outdoor pond with koi, fed by artesian well water. I now rely on the algae as a food source for the fish, as I no longer supplement their diet. They are quite large by now. The big problem I have is the marauding Blue Herons who like to swoop down for a snack. That problem has been solved by securing a fine-meshed net over the pond......spoils the atmosphere, but saves the fish.

d-

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Bill Turley (Moderator) (Trustee board) (☼Travelguide writer) says on May 30, 2009, 16:26:

lpdiver says on May 30, 2009, 16:37:

How big is your pond. Do you have any mechanical filtration, aeration, etc.

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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Robert Jorge says on May 30, 2009, 18:46:

lack of light kills algae. But so does bleach. ????

"You can not take the barrio out of the girl you really can't." Oneforamillion

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dwmte7 says on May 30, 2009, 18:48:

an older teacher/friend of mine--and that means he's old--has a remarkable koi pond and in the early years, he tried some chemical agent.....it killed his fish. later he got some creature that did the trick. he also developed a filtration system with the lathe-cuttings of nylon that industry discards. ??? his koi are about 18" long, beautiful.

i'll call him and ask his advise.

d

patriarch

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lpdiver says on May 30, 2009, 20:18:

There are two basic elements here. Light and nutrients. Take away either and you get rid of the algae. You could shade the pond by either natural plantings or artificial coverings. In addition you can plant some competition that will consume the nutrients that feed the fish. If you select the right plants to consume the nutrients (fish pee, fish poop, and vegetative matter that ends up in the pond) you can get double duty of using up the nutrients that the algae needs and have a plant that provides shade that will eliminate some of the light that the algae needs to thrive.

As stated earlier you can install an inline UV light that will help as well. Filtration? Do you have any? Partial water changes? Do you do them?

You won't entirely eliminate it nor should you really. But neither will you find a single simple cure. It is a complicated problem and really depends on a lot of information provided.

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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CodyIntl says on May 30, 2009, 20:22:

Bleach should do it. That'll take care of those damn fish making your pond dirty too.

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billyb says on May 30, 2009, 21:48:

"How about "CATFISH" ????"

Looking for employment????

"All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I never go there" Unkown (at least to me) wise man.

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Robert Jorge says on May 30, 2009, 21:59:

Catfish live on live and dead animals or their products. They don't feed on plants generally. A great bait for catfish in North America is raw chicken liver, chicken hearts, or rotten cheese. Carp like to eat grains. The best bait for carp is mashed up Wheaties or Corn Flakes. But a simple kernal of corn will work too. Catfish will hit balls of live worms and live minnows, and even leeches. I am sure there are fish that can live off of algae, but I don't think catfish, or even carp - like we know them in the US, can.

"You can not take the barrio out of the girl you really can't." Oneforamillion

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lpdiver says on May 30, 2009, 22:02:

From Wiki
The true algae eaters are cypriniform fishes of the genus Gyrinocheilus, family Gyrinocheilidae. There are three species in this genus with the Chinese algae eater, Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, the most common. Small specimens make good community fish but may become territorial when elder.
The Siamese algae eater, Crossocheilus siamensis, is a more gregarious and tolerant cyprinid that ranges up to 15 cm. It is the only fish that will graze on "black brush algae" (freshwater Rhodophyta, or Red algae), but even so will eat anything else in preference.
American-flag fish, Jordanella floridae, are also dependable algae eating fish.
Many loricariid catfish of South America such as Otocinclus and Plecostomus species constantly graze algae and biofilm, although 'Plecos' eat much less frequently as they near adulthood.
Bristlenose catfish, is another group of popular and efficient algae eaters.
Some freshwater shrimp are also excellent algae eaters. One shrimp well known for its ability to clean an aquarium is the Amano Shrimp.


ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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Robert Jorge says on May 30, 2009, 22:08:

I had a huge plecostomus in my chiclid aquarium in college. He kept it clean. I actually dove in canals in Florida City and Homestead, and saw plecostomuses all over the place. They got to 15 or more inches. Anyway, they will eat algae if in a tropical environment or even semi-tropical.

"You can not take the barrio out of the girl you really can't." Oneforamillion

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lpdiver says on May 30, 2009, 22:13:

So we have come full circle back to catfish...if you are the correct species. I had an enormous Pleco as well. I brought it back to the store and they were delighted to trade.

Still don't have enough info to solve the problem...hey maybe a human is peeing in the pond and increasing the bioload...I know I'd probably be guilty!
ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on May 31, 2009, 02:02:

drvannostren says on Jun 1, 2009, 00:41:

Hire 2 young lads on a moto, I think their called Sicarios!

No matter where you go, the Korean tour bus isn't far behind.

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lpdiver says on Jun 1, 2009, 14:06:

Harvest the algae and make biofuel with it!

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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Rikito says on Jun 2, 2009, 06:00:

Thanks for the comments. The fish pond is a large outdoor type with not much shade. The size is about 15-20 meters by 10-15 meters. I estimate it is a 1,500-2,500 liter pond. Catfish would not be a good idea becasue although they are good at eating algae, they are also good at eating everything else...like the rest of my fish. Installing UV or other mechanical systems is not very pratical for me. I was hoping for more of some kind of Chemical that can be purchased here in Colombia. Even my Colombian wife finds it hard to talk to chemical people about algae and how to get rid of it. But everytime I ask about how to get rid of the algae some guy shows up with a fishing pole. Yes Darloup, algae is similar to moss, but difficult to get rid of and have it stay gone. My big worry is killing the fish I have. The Koi are enormus right now. Almost scary especially when they jump out of the water.

...and so it goes

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lpdiver says on Jun 2, 2009, 12:22:

Ok I agree with what you write. I would probably go with planting other plants to compete with the algae for the nutrients. Lillys would do well. I do admit that they would obstruct the view somewhat but is is a trade off. The lillys would compete with the algae and compete for the food and provide some nice flowers as well.

Also you may have too many fish for your pond.

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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Catfish35 says on Jun 2, 2009, 16:14:

A Catfish or Carp will eat just about anything..jaja....as long as it smells like fish! Its a pleasant dish!

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

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Robert Jorge says on Jun 2, 2009, 22:30:

Koi are basically carp, no? (goldfish) That family of fish eat grains. Catfish eat meat, dead or live. Different types of suckers eat algae. What you need is an algae eater. Or a 100 actually.

"You can not take the barrio out of the girl you really can't." Oneforamillion

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goin_south says on Jun 2, 2009, 22:43:

carp

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

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lpdiver says on Jun 3, 2009, 13:29:

An algae eater IS a catfish.

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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Robert Jorge says on Jun 3, 2009, 20:55:

So the blue cats, yellow cats, channel cats, etc I caught for 30 years happen to have a wierd craving for raw chicken liver, hearts, red-worms, and stinky cheese? Sometimes even hitting minnows and bass plugs and spoons?

"You can not take the barrio out of the girl you really can't." Oneforamillion

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lpdiver says on Jun 4, 2009, 03:55:

They are not algae eaters.

Think in geometric terms. A square is a rectangle; but a rectangle is not a square!

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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goin_south says on Jun 4, 2009, 04:33:

Tony! damn... you must have scored high on the ACT !

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

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lpdiver says on Jun 4, 2009, 04:50:

we must work the same shift

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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